Hi Guys,
I was looking at a concrete trade magazine the other day at school, and I saw an ad for a mat that was electrically heated and would keep concrete from improperly curing in cold weather. It was kind of like a big waterproof electric blanket. Do any of you have any experience with these, know how much they are to purchase, and know where I might find them? I can’t find the magazine now, and I forgot the name of the supplier. MY idea is that if they were cheap enough I could use them around my house in areas to melt snow and ice. I dont have any radiant systems and I thought the pads would be nice in areas where I don’t want to use salt or chemicals. Kind of a spot treatment.
C
Replies
The best spot treatment that I know of is a shovel.
Benny,
Shovel doesn't fit my hand so well. HaHaHa.
I hate to say any thing more about it, because some one will probably make a million dollars off of my idea, but think about it. What if you had a light weight flexible mat of whatever size, and the weatherman said it was going to snow. take the mat out to the porch, walkway, driveway etc and spread it out and plug it in. The mat is waterproof, the electric thermostat keeps the ground under the blanket at say 50 dgrees. Snow squall over, you go out and roll up the mat. There you have it. It might be a little more bulky than a tarp but tarps dont melt snow. Just think if you had the money and the muscle. you could do your whole driveway just roll it up after your done with it like the do the rain covers at Wrigley field. Say also for example that the mat was tough, you could drive on it, walk on it etc. Sort of like idiot radiant heating!!!
"I'm so pretty all the girls love me!"
Chris
The big problem that I see with your idea is that the people you would be marketing this to want less work not more.
While I'm sure that it would do what you are thinking you would have to have a great big one for a driveway (which you would have to store at least 9 months of the year) , or you would have to have smaller ones that you would need to moving constantly.
I could also see it if you melt one area the runoff would probably refreeze in places that might cause you even more trouble than simply leaving the snow there.
I'm sure that these blankets have their uses but snow removal is not one of them.
Hey,
I just thought of another great use for my snow melt blanket. Thawing ice dams, yeah. Just think, mfg. it in a roll about four foot wide, by say, 15 feet long then when you have an ice dam problem that needs immediate attention, pull out a couple ladders and have a helper help unroll it plug it in and melt that ice, baby. How about a narrower strip just for gutters, to help thaw frozen gutters or a narrow strip for pipes.
If any one steals this idea......
Chris
With that kind of enthusiasm you are bound to come up with something.
Don't ever be discouraged by people who think they know everything.